'Tis the season for holiday shows

Ahh the holidays: the most wonderful time of the year to drink, dance, be merry, eat artificially colored cookies, barf red and green behind a dumpster in Allston, and be taken into police custody while wearing a Santa suit. And all that fun starts at a Boston-area holiday show or party, many of which, as you'll see below, promise to be "spectacular." Here's a preview of what local venues have on deck this season; for more events, visit thephoenix.com/holidays.